Minister MacKay Announces the Next Phase of Infrastructure Work at Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt

CFB ESQUIMALT, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - June 5, 2012) - The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, today announced the next phase of work for the project to consolidate the Fleet Maintenance Facility Cape Breton (FMF CB) at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Esquimalt. The Government of Canada has awarded a contract for approximately CAN$19.7 million to Scansa Construction Ltd. of Victoria, British Columbia, for the construction of a new utility corridor, which will provide a new underground routing for mechanical, electrical and telecommunications services within the Esquimalt Dockyard.

"I'm pleased that this new contract brings us a step closer to completing the consolidation of the Fleet Maintenance Facility Cape Breton," said the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence. "The benefits of this project will extend beyond the Canadian Forces, as approximately 106 jobs will be created as a result of this construction work."

This new utility corridor will connect infrastructure services from Transport Road, along Hospital Road and Rainbow Drive, to A and B Jetty. In addition to the mechanical and electrical services, the corridor will eventually act as the main conduit for all communication cabling on the base thereby increasing repair efficiency due to the consolidated location and reliability of services. The project will proceed in several steps and is currently scheduled to be completed by October 2013.

This work is part of the FMF CB project, a five-phased project that will consolidate and modernize the Department of National Defence ship maintenance facilities at Her Majesty's Canadian Dockyard Esquimalt. This project was originally announced in 2009 and remains on budget. The work involved has been ongoing over the last several years and includes the construction of three new industrial-support buildings; renovation work on the two existing modern industrial buildings; extensive upgrading of the Dockyard's utility services; and general site improvements. The entire FMF CB project is anticipated to be complete by 2018.

In line with the Canada First Defence Strategy, there is a need to update and replace dated defence infrastructure in order to meet the challenges of the 21st century. The Government of Canada conducted an open, fair, and transparent competitive process to award each of these contracts.